1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a bulk seed handling and dispensing system and more particularly to a system wherein a plurality of bulk seed containers are selectively removably positioned on a trailer and means for dispensing the seed therefrom into planting units is provided thereon.
2. Description of the Related Art
Agricultural seeding machines such as a row crop planter or grain drill are used to place seeds at a desired depth within a plurality of parallel seed trenches. Historically, row crops such as corn are planted with row planters which normally consist of a plurality of spaced-apart planter units mounted on a supporting frame such as a tool bar or the like. Usually, each of the planter units includes a seed box or hopper thereon which must be filled with seed. Non-row crops such as wheat, soybeans, oats, barley, etc., are planted by means of grain drills. The grain drills include a seed hopper positioned thereon. In both types of planting, the seed boxes or hoppers thereof must be filled with seed. In many cases, individual bags of seed are hand-carried to the planters with the seed being poured therefrom into the planter boxes or hoppers. In recent years, seed has been supplied to the farmers in bulk form, that is, the seed is contained in large seed containers, sometimes called “totes,” carried on a trailer or the like and is dispensed therefrom to the planter boxes or hoppers by an auger conveyor.
It is believed that the prior art bulk seed handling or dispensing systems suffer from one or more drawbacks or disadvantages. First, in certain systems where two or more seed containers or totes are positioned on a trailer, the seed from the two or more seed containers flow into a common hopper from which the seed is dispensed which makes it impossible to have different seed hybrids or varieties in different containers on the trailer. Second, the prior art bulk seed handling systems are not believed to have a convenient means for cleaning out the seed hopper beneath the seed container thereby possibly resulting in contamination of one seed hybrid or variety with another seed hybrid or variety if the system first dispenses one seed hybrid or variety and is then used to dispense another seed hybrid or variety. Third, the prior art bulk seed handling systems are believed to have a high center of gravity due to the fact that the seed containers are positioned substantially above the ground or road surface. Such a high center of gravity may result in the system overturning when traveling around a curve or corner or over rough terrain. Fourth, the prior art bulk seed handling systems are not believed to be convenient to use.
Applicant's invention described in the co-pending application truly represents an advance in the bulk seed handling and dispensing system art. The instant invention is believed to represent a further advance in the art in that, among other things, the system has an even lower center of gravity than that described and shown in the co-pending application. Additionally, the instant invention can accommodate an additional tote.